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Pictures appear to show British special forces on the front lines in Syria

The first images of what appear to be British special forces
operating on the ground in Syria have emerged, showing vehicles
patrolling near the scene of an attack by Islamic State.
The pictures were taken in June and were first published by the BBC.

It is believed to be the first time British forces have been
photographed operating inside Syria, where they are engaged in relatively small
numbers in wide-ranging roles that include surveillance, advisory
and combat.

The images depict British special forces sitting on Thalab
long-range patrol vehicles as they move around the perimeter of a
rebel base close to the Syria-Iraq border.
The Thalab (Fox) vehicles are essentially modified, militarised
and upgraded Toyota 4x4s used for long distance reconnaissance
and surveillance missions, which were developed jointly in the
middle of the last decade by a state-backed defence company in
Jordan and the UK company Jankel.

The vehicle, which has mounted weaponry and is often used for
border patrols, has been primarily used by Jordanian special
forces.

Al-Tanf, where the vehicles were reportedly photographed, is a
border crossing between Syria and Iraq that had been under Isis
control, and is also not far from the Jordanian border. It is
unclear how many Nato countries have deployed the modified
trucks, though Belgium ordered a shipment of modified Fox
vehicles earlier this year.

The images seem to show British forces securing the perimeter of
the rebel base following an attack by Isis, according to the BBC.
The soldiers can be seen carrying anti-tank missiles, sniper
rifles and other heavy artillery.

The BBC reported the soldiers were working at the base in a
defensive role and a spokesman for the New Syrian Army
acknowledged that British special forces had provided training,
weapons and other equipment.

The Ministry of Defence, as is standard with special forces,
declined to comment on the photographs. But an independent source
confirmed they were UK special forces, which are operating
against Isis in Syria, Iraq and Libya.

They prefer to operate in secrecy, at least until sufficient time
has passed for the publication of memoirs. But, with cameras
commonplace and the forces they operate alongside not feeling
bound to respect that secrecy, it is becoming increasingly more
difficult.

The UK has about 300 conventional forces operating in Iraq mainly
in and around Baghdad, restricted to training and advisory roles,
operating from behind the relative safety of secure bases.
Britain has also promised to provide between 800-1,200 troops to
an Italian-led international force to support the Libyan
government, though there is little sign of these being deployed.

The special forces have a free-ranging role, operating in the
border areas between the Isis stronghold of Raqqa in Syria and
the towns and villages linking it to its northern Iraqi bastion,
Mosul. The US special forces established a base in the Syrian
desert between Raqqa and the Iraqi border aimed both at achieving
this and in support of Syrian rebel forces trying to squeeze
Raqqa.

ISIS
fighters pile onto a truck.

The UK parliament approved an air campaign against Isis in Syria
but not ground troops. Special forces, though, have always been
treated differently. The government mantra is that special forces
can be deployed wherever there is judged to be a threat to the
UK.

The convention is that special forces are never mentioned on the
floor of the British parliament but they are subject to oversight
through the parliamentary intelligence committee.

Defence ministers argue that it is illogical to expect special
forces engaged against Isis to stop at the Iraqi border, given
that the terror group does not recognise any border between Iraq
and Syria.
The New Syrian Army was established with American backing in 2015
as a moderate rebel force to primarily fight against Isis in Deir
ez-Zor province, which is almost entirely under the control of
the militants.

The American training programmes for rebel forces have been
widely seen as failures, primarily because few rebel fighters are
willing to exclusively fight Isis while ignoring the regime of
Bashar al-Assad.

The US has had more success when it closely coordinated with
fighters on the ground and backed them up with airstrikes, the
modus operandi it has adopted with the mostly Kurdish fighters in
northern Syria known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, who are on
the verge of taking back the city of Manbij in northern Aleppo
from Islamic State, and have conquered vast tracts of land over
the past few months. The US also has special forces troops
operating on the ground with the Kurds.

The New Syrian Army has had a halting and uninspiring track
record. Their most significant operation occurred in June this
year, when the group launched an attack on Al-Bukamal, a town on
the Iraqi border that has long been a crossing point for foreign
jihadis during the American occupation, and which is now held by
Isis. The attack failed, apparently due to the lack of sufficient
air power backing by its western allies.

One report in the Washington Post
suggested American warplanes that were supposed to assist in the
battle had to be diverted to Falluja, where they bombed a convoy
of Isis vehicles fleeing the city.